Not applicable.
In the retail market, numerous products contain small amounts of ingredients such as milk, or other dairy derivatives; cereal, or other cereal grain derivatives; and juice, or other fruit/vegetable derivatives. In all the above mentioned products, usually only one or two of the three ingredients (from dairy, cereal, fruit or vegetable groups) may be characterizing ingredients, while third component is found near the end of the ingredient label, or listed as xe2x80x9cless than 2% of the formulaxe2x80x9d. Some examples of the above include the following generic retail products: cream of mushroom soup (including mushrooms, cornstarch, and whey protein concentrate), nacho cheese soup (including cheese, jalapeno peppers, and cornstarch), broccoli cheese soup (including broccoli, cheese, and wheat flour), bernaise sauce or hollandaise sauce (including cream, modified food starch, and lemon concentrate), light yogurt with fruit juice (including milk, modified corn starch, and various fruit juices).
Needed in the art is an improved beverage combining a milk compound, a juice compound, and a cereal/polysaccharide compound.
In one embodiment, the present invention is a stable mixture of milk, juice and either polysaccharide, cereal, or a combination of polysaccharide and cereal. In a preferred version of the present invention, the cereal has been milled to pass through an 80 mesh screen. In another preferred version of the present invention, the range of the milk component is from 20% to 80%, the range of the juice component is between 20% and 80%, and the preferred portion of the cereal or polysaccharide component is 3% to 30%. (All ranges are w/w.)
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, SUCRELESSE is added as an agent to further stabilize the milk proteins in the mixture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stable, drinkable mixture of milk, juice and cereal or polysaccharide.
Other examples, features, and objects of the present invention will become apparent to one of skill in the art after examination of the specification and claims.
The present invention is a stable mixture that is a combination of milk, juice and a polysaccharide or cereals. By xe2x80x9cstable mixturexe2x80x9d we mean a beverage containing a mixture which does not physically separate for at least 1 week, preferably 2 weeks, stored at refrigerator or ambient temperature nor form any sedimentation on the bottom of the container nor form a watery supernatant near the surface nor any other kind of separation apparent to the naked eye. In preparing the stable mixture, it is preferred to protect the product against microbiological contamination by any of the various methods currently used by dairies or juice processors, at least by pasteurization.
In a preferred version of the present invention, the milk mixture is created from a combination of milk or milk products and fruit or vegetable drinks. Preferred juices include orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, grape juice, pear juice, pineapple juice, apple juice and mixtures of these juices. Juice drinks, such as lemonade, orangeade, etc. and fruit juice-containing products, such as jams and jellies, are also suitable.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the mixture is created from a combination of milk and vegetable juices or vegetable products or created from milk and mixed vegetable and fruit juices or products.
The present invention is designed to work with a variety of milk or milk products. xe2x80x9cMilk productsxe2x80x9d include fermented milk such as yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, and mixture of cream and milk, but it is not limited to these products. For example, a mixed yogurt and fruit mixture is specifically envisioned.
A preferable cereal grain is rice cereal. One can also use other raw or processed cooked grains, such as corn and wheat. We envision that the polysaccharide may be any gum, such as xanthan gum and carrageenan gum, or an alginate or a pectin. There are other examples of suitable polysaccharides. We specifically envision that a combination of grains and polysaccharides might be suitable.
A particularly advantageous proportion of grain or cereal is between 3-30% solids, w/w. In a preferred version of the present invention, the raw or processed cooked grain or cereal is milled to pass any mesh size between 42 to 250 mesh with the preferred range between 60 to 150 mesh.
Preferably, the mixture is suitable for drinking.
In another embodiment, the present invention is the use of SUCRELESSE as an agent to stabilize milk proteins in the emulsion of milk, juice and grain/polysaccharide. SUCRELESSE is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,636, Edible, Low Calorie Compositions of a Carrier and an Active Ingredient and Methods for Preparation Thereof.
The SUCRELESSE stabilizes the milk proteins by binding them and preventing precipitation in the more acidic environment of the fruit juice drink. SUCRELESSE is a composition comprising an amino acid, an organic acid or inorganic acid, and a metal ion. Most preferably, SUCRELESSE has carboxylic acids, hydroxyl, amine functional groups and metal ions to bind the milk protein and the fiber in the grains. The SUCRELESSE also permits pasteurization by HTST (High Temperature Short Time), UHT (Ultra High Temperature), retort and pasteurization processing without the risk of separation during those processes.
The SUCRELESSE helps to form stable mixtures by varying the specific gravity of the SUCRELESSE. The specific gravity of SUCRELESSE can vary from 1.0 to 1.5 gm/ml; the typical value varies from 1.2 to 1.3 gm/ml. The gravity of milk and milk products and juice can be brought closer together thus adjusting the final specific gravity. The addition of SUCRELESSE is important to maintain the milk mixture in a pH range of, preferably, pH 3.0 to pH 7.0. In another embodiment of the invention, the pH range is higher, up to pH 8.5.
SUCRELESSE is a mixture of amino acids, metal ions source (such as Group IA, IIA, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Fe), organic acids and inorganic acids.
Typically, the organic acids are mono-, di-, tri-, poly-carboxylic acids and may contain other functional groups such as NH2xe2x88x92, OHxe2x88x92, PO4xe2x88x923 and SO4xe2x88x922 . Typically, the inorganic acids are hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid.
The molar ratio of metal ion:amino acid:acid can vary depending on the applications. The molar ratio of amino acid to metal ion can vary from 0.1 to 20. The organic or inorganic acids to metal ion molar ratio can vary from 0.1 to 20. The most common molar ratio for food application is amino acid varying from 0.1 to 4, and the organic or inorganic acid varying from 0.1 to 4. These molar ratios keep the SUCRELESSE in the pH range of 3-8, where most of the food applications are.
The ranges of suitable concentrations for SUCRELESSE are preferably 0.001% to 3% of a 65% solution (w/w). Preferably, 65 gm of SUCRELESSE is added to 35 gm of water and this is added to the mixture at 0.001% (10 xcexcl/L of mixture) or to 3% (3 ml per 100 ml of mixture).
The present invention demonstrates a method of producing a homogeneous mixture, maintained by using SUCRELESSE as the mechanism for maintaining the mixture.
Preferably, the stable mixture is prepared as follows: Blend SUCRELESSE in the range of 0.1% to 2% in any of the following milks (fat-free, low fat, or whole milk) in a food blender, such as a Hamilton Beach 10 Blend Master, on stir setting for a few seconds. The percentage of milk is from 20% to 80%. Blend in reconstituted orange juice (from frozen concentrate) on a stir setting for a few seconds. The orange juice range is from 20% to 80%. Then add the rice cereal that was ground, which was screened through a mesh ranging between 42 to 250 mesh, with the preferred range between 60 to 150 mesh. One can also use raw rice, corn, wheat, or oat grain in the same mesh size. The percentage of rice cereal is from 3% to 30%. Stir in the blender for a few seconds; then change the setting to liquefy, and liquefy the mixture for about one minute. Pasteurize the samples in the microwave to 85xc2x0 C., place the mixture in sterilized containers to be immediately hot-sealed thus creating a partial vacuum. Let the mixture cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator. The pH of the drink was 4.33. The pH range of the mixture can be from 3.5 to 7.0. The preferred range is from 4.0 to 6.0. One can sterilize the mixture by conventional heating, induction, solar conduction, and direct electrical resistance methods.
The preferred range of SUCRELESSE is from 0.1% to 2%. The preferred range of milk is from 35% to 70%. The preferred range of juice is 20% to 60%. Sugar can be added to the mixture in the preferred range from 1% to 8%. The preferred mesh size for the cereal is between 60 mesh to 150 mesh. The preferred range of grain or cereal is 5% to 12%.